A firsthand account of Latvia's transformation from Soviet rule to a vibrant society embracing its ancient pagan heritage. Discover the resilience of Baltic traditions & their connection to nature...
I visited The Baltics in June this year, also on a cruise ship, spending time in Estonia and Lithuania. I did miss going to Latvia, but also went to Finland, Sweden and Denmark.
Estonia and Lithuania are beautiful places to visit and the towns I saw were well kept, clean and the locals friendly. The medieval centre of Tallinn (Estonia) is pedestrian free and only the McDonalds looked out of place, although not too much. The flower market next door made up for it.
Each of the Baltics certainly have a distinct and interesting history. Lithuania was the last pagan nation in Europe. It transitioned to Christianity in 1387 through the union with Poland. This was a good century after Latvia became Christian.
Preservation of language goes hand in hand with culture and religion. The Baltics represent case studies in language suppression by conquerors. Latvian and Lithuanian are the oldest Indo-European languages existing today. There were any attempts to extinguish these languages, often by the Russian Empire and USSR.
I have travelled frequently to the Baltics since 2017 and would highly recommend you and Louise see more. Vilnius in a gem of a city and has valuable lessons on historical blending of religious traditions with its pre-Holocaust Jewish population.
I stayed in Jurmala as a base and toured the Kolka Penninsula by bike in July of '92. It was a fantastic time to see Latvia and Estonia transformation from USSR rule. The ruble was replaced during this time, train tickets to St Petersburg were cheap and travel to Russia without a visa was common. One of the finest adventures of my life.
I visited The Baltics in June this year, also on a cruise ship, spending time in Estonia and Lithuania. I did miss going to Latvia, but also went to Finland, Sweden and Denmark.
Estonia and Lithuania are beautiful places to visit and the towns I saw were well kept, clean and the locals friendly. The medieval centre of Tallinn (Estonia) is pedestrian free and only the McDonalds looked out of place, although not too much. The flower market next door made up for it.
I would recommend a visit.
Each of the Baltics certainly have a distinct and interesting history. Lithuania was the last pagan nation in Europe. It transitioned to Christianity in 1387 through the union with Poland. This was a good century after Latvia became Christian.
Preservation of language goes hand in hand with culture and religion. The Baltics represent case studies in language suppression by conquerors. Latvian and Lithuanian are the oldest Indo-European languages existing today. There were any attempts to extinguish these languages, often by the Russian Empire and USSR.
I have travelled frequently to the Baltics since 2017 and would highly recommend you and Louise see more. Vilnius in a gem of a city and has valuable lessons on historical blending of religious traditions with its pre-Holocaust Jewish population.
I stayed in Jurmala as a base and toured the Kolka Penninsula by bike in July of '92. It was a fantastic time to see Latvia and Estonia transformation from USSR rule. The ruble was replaced during this time, train tickets to St Petersburg were cheap and travel to Russia without a visa was common. One of the finest adventures of my life.